This invention relates to xerography, and more specifically to a novel photosensitive member suitable for forming images on outside surfaces.
In the art of xerography, a photosensitive member, such as for example, a paper sheet containing coating of zinc oxide particles contained in an insulating film forming resin is imaged by first uniformly electrostatically charging the surface in the dark. The member is then exposed to a pattern of activating radiation to form a latent electrostatic image on the surface of a binder layer. This latent image may then be developed by immersing the photosensitive member in a liquid developer solution containing toner particles. The toner particles are attracted to, and adhered to the areas containing the latent electrostatic image. After removal from the developer bath, the photosensitive member is dried and the toner image fixed to form a permanent reproduction of the original radiation pattern or image.
In general, the appliction of xerography is not readily adaptable to large outside surfaces such as the sides of buildings or ships, in that the basic xerographic steps enumerated above are somewhat difficult and impractical to perform on outside surfaces. For example, it is impractical to construct large darkroom areas for images of the size contemplated by the instant invention. Similarly, electrical charging units of the size and type required for such applications are impractical due to the economics involved and engineering requirements.
For the above mentioned reasons, a photosensitive member capable of forming images on relatively large outside surfaces would have both novel utility and acceptance in the art.